| Final | time | L | | 1. Jarmila Kratochvilova |  TCH | 47.99s | | 2. Tatana Kocembova | TCH | 48.59s | | 3. Mariya Kulchunova-Pinigina |  URS | 49.19s | | 4. Gaby Bussmann |  FRG | 49.75s | | 5. Marita Payne-Wiggins |  CAN | 50.06s | | 6. Irina Baskakova | URS | 50.48s | | 7. Dagmar Rubsam-Neubauer |  GDR | 50.48s | | 8. Rosalyn Bryant |  USA | 50.66s |
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| Semi 1 | Team | time | L | | 1. Jarmila Kratochvilova | TCH | 51.08s | | 2. Gaby Bussmann | FRG | 51.22s | | 3. Irina Baskakova | URS | 51.26s | | 4. Dagmar Rubsam-Neubauer | GDR | 51.52s | | 5. Charmaine Crooks | CAN | 51.96s | | 6. Denean Howard-Hill | USA | 52.06s | | 7. Judit Forgacs |  HUN | 52.74s | | 8. Rositsa Stamenova |  BUL | 53.09s |
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| Semi 2 | Team | time | L | | 1. Mariya Kulchunova-Pinigina | URS | 50.07s | | 2. Tatana Kocembova | TCH | 50.45s | | 3. Marita Payne-Wiggins | CAN | 50.78s | | 4. Rosalyn Bryant | USA | 51.04s | | 5. Sabine Busch | GDR | 51.09s | | 6. Michelle Scutt |  GBR | 51.88s | | 7. Molly Killingbeck | CAN | 51.97s | | 8. Katya Ilieva | BUL | 52.34s |
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| Heat 1 | Team | time | L | | 1. Mariya Kulchunova-Pinigina | URS | 51.05s | | 2. Rosalyn Bryant | USA | 51.44s | | 3. Sabine Busch | GDR | 51.46s | | 4. Charmaine Crooks | CAN | 51.57s | | 5. Denise Robertson-Boyd |  AUS | 52.03s | | 6. Cathy Rattray-Williams |  JAM | 53.78s | | -. Margarita Grun |  URU | DNS | | -. Cornelia Baptiste |  STL | DNS |
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| Heat 2 | Team | time | L | | 1. Irina Baskakova | URS | 51.07s | | 2. Gaby Bussmann | FRG | 51.15s | | 3. Dagmar Rubsam-Neubauer | GDR | 51.62s | | 4. Molly Killingbeck | CAN | 52.25s | | 5. Roberta Belle | USA | 53.43s | | 6. Elanga Buala |  PNG | 56.96s | | 7. Iyiechia Petrus |  ISV | 57.24s | | -. Hala El Moughrabi |  SYR | DNS |
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| Heat 3 | Team | time | L | | 1. Marita Payne-Wiggins | CAN | 52.23s | | 2. Katya Ilieva | BUL | 52.37s | | 3. Jarmila Kratochvilova | TCH | 52.40s | | 4. Michelle Scutt | GBR | 52.70s | | 5. June Griffith |  GUY | 53.47s | | 6. Leticia Athanas |  TAN | 56.92s | | 7. Irina Ambulo |  PAN | 58.33s | | -. Sandra Liburd |  STK | DNS |
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| Heat 4 | Team | time | L | | 1. Tatana Kocembova | TCH | 51.88s | | 2. Judit Forgacs | HUN | 52.18s | | 3. Rositsa Stamenova | BUL | 52.22s | | 4. Denean Howard-Hill | USA | 52.34s | | 5. Erica Rossi |  ITA | 53.88s | | 6. Patricia Meigha |  GUA | 59.85s | | -. Eucaris Caicedo |  COL | DNS | | -. Fatalmoudou Toure |  MLI | DNS |
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| Heat 1 | Team | time | L | | 1. Jarmila Kratochvilova | TCH | 52.42s | | 2. Molly Killingbeck | CAN | 52.62s | | 3. Roberta Belle | USA | 53.01s | | 4. Michelle Scutt | GBR | 53.30s | | 5. Erica Rossi | ITA | 53.51s | | 6. Hala El Moughrabi | SYR | 59.58s | | 7. Marjorie Gentle |  BIZ | 1:04.00 |
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| Heat 2 | Team | time | L | | 1. Rositsa Stamenova | BUL | 53.81s | | 2. Gaby Bussmann | FRG | 53.93s | | 3. June Griffith | GUY | 54.02s | | 4. Eucaris Caicedo | COL | 55.09s | | 5. Judit Forgacs | HUN | 55.15s | | 6. Leticia Athanas | TAN | 56.54s | | 7. Sandra Liburd | STK | 1:02.46 |
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| Heat 3 | Team | time | L | | 1. Tatana Kocembova | TCH | 52.74s | | 2. Denean Howard-Hill | USA | 52.78s | | 3. Katya Ilieva | BUL | 53.21s | | 4. Cathy Rattray-Williams | JAM | 53.40s | | 5. Elanga Buala | PNG | 57.37s | | 6. Fatalmoudou Toure | MLI | 59.37s | | -. Florence Gaza |  SOL | DNS |
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| Heat 4 | Team | time | L | | 1. Mariya Kulchunova-Pinigina | URS | 52.49s | | 2. Charmaine Crooks | CAN | 53.83s | | 3. Dagmar Rubsam-Neubauer | GDR | 54.47s | | 4. Denise Robertson-Boyd | AUS | 54.70s | | 5. Iyiechia Petrus | ISV | 55.87s | | 6. Margarita Grun | URU | 56.84s | | 7. Cornelia Baptiste | STL | 1:00.79 |
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| Heat 5 | Team | time | L | | 1. Sabine Busch | GDR | 53.16s | | 2. Irina Baskakova | URS | 53.45s | | 3. Rosalyn Bryant | USA | 53.64s | | 4. Marita Payne-Wiggins | CAN | 53.96s | | 5. Irina Ambulo | PAN | 56.08s | | 6. Patricia Meigha | GUA | 58.07s | | -. Rose Tata-Muya |  KEN | DNS |
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